Vented in-the-ear headphone

Abstract

A vented tip for in-the-ear headphones has a core portion to be mounted to a sound output tube of an in-the-ear earphone and a flange portion extending outward from and surrounding the core portion. The vented tip has a) an outer portion formed in the flange portion that is to be in contact with, and thereby form a seal with, a user's ear canal, and b) an inner portion spaced inwards from the outer portion to thereby not form the seal with the user's ear canal. The inner portion has a calibrated perforation or hole formed therein. Other embodiments that may help reduce bone conduction effects are also described and claimed.

1. A vented tip for in-the-ear headphones, comprising:
 a core portion to be mounted to a sound output tube of an in-the-ear headphone; and 
 a flange portion extending outward from and surrounding the core portion, 
 wherein the vented tip has
 a) an outer portion formed in the flange portion that is to be in contact with, and thereby form a seal with, a user's ear canal, and 
 b) an inner portion spaced inwards from the outer portion to thereby not form the seal with the user's ear canal, the inner portion having a calibrated perforation formed therein, the calibrated perforation dimensioned to modify a bass frequency response of the headphone without substantially impacting a high frequency response. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The vented tip of  claim 1  wherein the core portion and the flange portion are made of the same material. 
     
     
       3. The vented tip of  claim 2  wherein the material is closed-cell foam. 
     
     
       4. The vented tip of  claim 1  wherein the flange portion is a silicone membrane that is more flexible than the core portion. 
     
     
       5. The vented tip of  claim 1  wherein the core and flange portions, including the inner and outer portions, form a single, volume manufactured piece. 
     
     
       6. A vented tip for in-the-ear headphones, comprising:
 a core portion to be mounted to a sound output tube of an in-the-ear headphone; and 
 a flange portion extending outward from and surrounding the core portion,
 wherein the vented tip has a trench formed on an outer surface of the flange portion that extends across a contact section of the flange portion, the contact section to be in contact with, and thereby form a seal with, a user's ear canal wall and wherein the trench is dimensioned to modify a bass frequency response of the headphone without substantially impacting a high frequency response. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The vented tip of  claim 6  wherein the trench extends generally longitudinally or in a front-to-back direction across the contact section. 
     
     
       8. The vented tip of  claim 6  wherein one of the structure and material of the contact section prevents the trench from collapsing due to compression forces that are created when the headphone is inserted into the ear canal. 
     
     
       9. An in-the-ear headphone comprising:
 an in-the-ear headphone housing containing a receiver that is coupled to a housing sound output tube whose open end is to be inserted into a wearer's ear canal, wherein a calibrated vent passage is formed through a wall of the sound output tube, the vent passage having a front bore segment formed in a front portion of the sound output tube and a rear bore segment formed in a rear portion of the sound output tube, the front and rear portions of the sound output tube being connected to each other so that one can be manually rotated relative to the other, by the wearer, between first and second stable positions, in the first stable position the front and rear bore segments are aligned to thereby vent the ear canal, and in the second stable position the front bore segment is blocked to thereby not vent the ear canal. 
 
     
     
       10. The in-the-ear headphone of  claim 9  further comprising:
 a tip to be mounted to the sound output tube, the latter being a rigid member while the former is a flexible member, the tip having a core portion to be mounted to the sound output tube and a flange portion extending outward from and surrounding the core portion, a contact section of the flange portion to be in contact with, and thereby form a seal with, a wall of the wearer's ear canal. 
 
     
     
       11. The in-the-ear headphone of  claim 10  wherein the tip covers a back end of the vent passage, the tip being ported in the core portion at a location that lines up with the back end of the vent passage. 
     
     
       12. The in-the-ear headphone of  claim 9  wherein the vent passage is routed from free air outside the housing, through the wall of the sound output tube, and out a front face of the sound output tube. 
     
     
       13. The in-the-ear headphone of  claim 9  wherein the front portion of the sound output tube is a cap having a mesh or grill surface that defines the open end of the sound output tube. 
     
     
       14. The in-the-ear headphone of  claim 9  wherein the front bore segment has an end that is to always be open to the ear canal and the rear bore segment has an end that is to always be open to the free air outside the housing. 
     
     
       15. A vented tip for in-the-ear headphones, comprising:
 a core portion to be mounted to a sound output tube of an in-the-ear headphone; and 
 a flange portion extending outward from and surrounding the core portion, 
 wherein the vented tip has a trench formed on an inner surface of the core portion that is to contact an outer surface of the sound output tube to thereby form a calibrated vent passage, the trench running generally longitudinally from a front face of the tip to a rear face of the tip.